Joint use of Core facilities is a crucial activity in the operation of a Program Project. This Cell Biology and Physiology Core brings in investigators of 4 projects to facilitate access to specialized technologies and newer methods. The aims of this Core are to provide: 1) technical assistance and training in electrophysiologic and molecular biologic techniques and approaches to investigators and supporting staff; 2) central consultative service for interpretation of data; 3) centralized facility for confocal microscopy which includes the study of ionic fluxes (e.g. Ca++, H+) and cytoskeletal and membrane proteins in live and fixed tissues for measurements of protein synthesis, amino-acid incorporation etc. and 4) a facility for fabrication and utilization of patch clamp, ion-selective microelectrodes for intracellular and extracellular ionic measurements. We believe that this Core will foster interactions between investigators and results from one project may affect the subsequent design and protocols in others within the program as we detailed in the overall introduction of this program above.